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1 Samuel
Chapter Twenty-five
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 25
This
chapter gives an account of the death of Samuel, and of the ill treatment David
met with from Nabal; it begins with the death of Samuel, which was greatly
lamented in Israel, 1 Samuel 25:1; it
draws the character of Nabal, and his wife, 1 Samuel 25:2;
records a message of David to him, by his young men, desiring he would send him
some of his provisions made for his sheep shearers, 1 Samuel 25:4; and
Nabal's ill-natured answer to him reported by the young men, which provoked
David to arm against him, 1 Samuel 25:10; and
this being told Abigail, the wife of Nabal, and a good character given of David
and his men, and of the advantage Nabal's shepherds had received from them, and
the danger his family was in through his ingratitude, 1 Samuel 25:14; she
prepared a present to pacify David, went with it herself, and addressed him in
a very handsome, affectionate, and prudent manner, 1 Samuel 25:18; and
met with a kind reception, 1 Samuel 25:32; and
the chapter is closed with an account of the death of Nabal, and of the
marriage of Abigail to David, 1 Samuel 25:32.
1 Samuel 25:1 Then Samuel
died; and the Israelites gathered together and lamented for him, and buried him
at his home in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.[a]
YLT
1And Samuel dieth, and all
Israel are gathered, and mourn for him, and bury him in his house, in Ramah;
and David riseth and goeth down unto the wilderness of Paran.
And Samuel died,.... In the interval, when Saul and David
were parted, and before they saw each other again; according to the Jewish
chronologyF7Seder Olam Rabba, c. 13. p. 37. , Samuel died four
months before Saul; but other Jewish writers sayF8In Kimchi &
Abarbinel in loc. he died seven months before; Abarbinel thinks it was a year
or two before; which is most likely and indeed certain, since David was in the
country of the Philistines after this a full year and four months, if the true
sense of the phrase is expressed in 1 Samuel 27:7; and
Saul was not then dead; and so another Jewish chronologerF9Juchasin,
fol. 11. 1. says, that Saul died two years after Samuel, to which agrees
Clemens of AlexandriaF11Stromat. l. 1. p. 325. ; and according to
the JewsF12Schulchan Aruch, par. 1. c. 580. sect. 2. , he died the
twentieth of Ijar, for which a fast was kept on that day:
and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him; his death
being a public loss, not only to the college of the prophets, over which he
presided, but to the whole nation; and they had reason to lament his death,
when they called to mind, the many good offices he had done them from his youth
upwards; and when the government was in his hands, which was administered in
the most prudent and faithful manner; and after that they had his wise counsel
and advice, his good wishes and prayers for them; and the rather they had
reason to lament him, since Saul their king proved so bad as he did, and at
this time a difference was subsisting between David and him:
and buried him in his house at Ramah; where he
lived and died; not that he was buried in his house, properly so called, or
within the walls of that building wherein he dwelt; though the GreeksF13Plato
in MinoY. and RomansF14Servius in Virgil. Aeneid. l. 6. p. mihi, (?)
1011. used to bury in their own dwelling houses; hence sprung the idolatrous
worship of the Lares, or household gods; but not the Hebrews, which their laws
about uncleanness by graves would not admit of, see Numbers 19:15; but
the meaning is, that they buried him in the place where his house was, as Ben
Gersom interprets it, at Ramah, in some field or garden belonging to it. The
author of the Cippi Hebraici saysF15P. 30. , that here his father
Elkanah, and his mother Hannah, and her two sons, were buried in a vault shut
up, with, monuments over it; and here, some sayF16Heldman apud
Hottinger in ib. , Samuel's bones remained, until removed by Arcadius the
emperor into Thrace; Benjamin of Tudela reportsF17Itinerar. p. 52. ,
that when the Christians took Ramlah, which is Ramah, from the Mahometans, they
found the grave of Samuel at Ramah by a synagogue of the Jews, and they took
him out of the grave, and carried him to Shiloh, and there built a large temple,
which is called the Samuel of Shiloh to this day:
and David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran; on hearing of
the death of Samuel, there to indulge his mourning for him; or rather that he
might be in greater safety from Saul, being further off, this wilderness lying
on the south of the tribe of Judah, and inhabited by Arabs, and these called
Kedarenes; and now it was that he dwelt in the tents of Kedar, Psalm 120:5.
1 Samuel 25:2 2 Now there was a man
in Maon whose business was in Carmel, and the man was very rich.
He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep
in Carmel.
YLT
2And [there is] a man in
Maon, and his work [is] in Carmel; and the man [is] very great, and he hath
three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats; and he is shearing his flock in
Carmel.
And there was a man in Maon,.... A city of the tribe
of Judah, from whence the wilderness had its name before mentioned; of which
place, see Joshua 15:55;
though Ben Gersom takes it to signify a dwelling place; and that this is
observed to show, that he did not dwell in a city, but had his habitation where
his business lay, which was in Carmel, where his fields, gardens, and vineyards
were: wherefore it follows:
whose possessions were in Carmel; not Carmel in
the tribe of Issachar, but in the tribe of Judah, not far from Maon, and are
mentioned together; see Gill on Joshua 15:55; his
cattle were there, his sheep particularly, for they are afterwards said to be
shorn there; or "his work"F18מעשהו
"opus ejus", Montanus, Vatablus; "eujus opus", Junius &
Tremellius, Piscator. ; his agriculture, his farming, where he was employed, or
employed others in sowing seed, and planting trees:
and the man was very great; in worldly substance,
though not in natural wisdom and knowledge, and especially in true religion and
piety:
and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats; so the
substance of men in those times was generally described by the cattle they had,
whether of the herd or flock, in which it chiefly lay:
and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel; which was the
custom in Judea and Syria, and was a very ancient one, as early as the times of
Judah, yea, of Laban, see Genesis 31:19;
though the old Romans used to pluck off the wool from the sheep's backs; hence
a fleece of wool was called "vellus a vellendo", from the
plucking it off; and Pliny saysF19Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 48. , in his
time, that sheep were not shorn everywhere, but in some places the custom of
plucking off the wool continued; and who elsewhere observesF20Ibid.
l. 18. c. 27. , that the time of shearing was in June or July, or thereabouts;
at which times a feast was made, and it is for the sake of that this is
observed.
1 Samuel 25:3 3 The name of the man was
Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good
understanding and beautiful appearance; but the man was harsh and evil
in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb.
YLT
3And the name of the man
[is] Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail, and the woman [is] of good
understanding, and of fair form, and the man [is] hard and evil [in] doings;
and he [is] a Calebite.
Now the name of the man was Nabal,.... Which signifies
a "fool"; one would think his parents should not give him this name,
though it is a name proper enough to men in common; and Kimchi thinks this was
a nickname, which men gave him agreeably to his genius and conduct, and which
is not improbable:
and the name of his wife Abigail; which signifies "my
father's joy", he delighting in her for her wit and beauty, as follows:
and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a
beautiful countenance; she was not only of a good understanding in things natural,
civil, and domestic, but in things spiritual, as her speech to David shows, and
which, with her external form, completed her character, and greatly recommended
her; which is the character AelianusF21Var. Hist. l. 12. c. 1. gives
of Aspasia, wise and fair:
but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; morose and
ill natured in the temper and disposition of his mind, and wicked in his
conversation, and fraudulent and oppressive in his dealings with men:
and he was of the house of Caleb; or he was a CalebiteF23כלבו "keri" כלבי
"Calibita", Pagninus, Montanus; "Calebita" Tigurine
version, Junius & Tremcilius, Piscator. , a descendant of that great and
good man Caleb the son of Jephunneh; which was an aggravation of his
wickedness, that he should be the degenerate plant of such a noble vine: some
interpret it, he was as his heart, as his heart was bad, so was he; some men,
their outside is better than their inside; but this man was no hypocrite, he
was as bad outwardly as he was inwardly: the word "Caleb" sometimes
signifies a dog; hence the Septuagint version renders it, a doggish man, a
cynic; and to the same purpose are the Syriac and Arabic versions; and so some
Jewish writers interpret it; but the Targum, Jarchi, and Kimchi, supply it as
we do, that he was of the house or family of Caleb, and so of the tribe of
Judah, as David was.
1 Samuel 25:4 4 When David heard in the
wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep,
YLT
4And David heareth in the
wilderness that Nabal is shearing his flock,
And David heard in the wilderness,.... In the wilderness of
Paran, where he was, and a wilderness it was to him, being in want of food, as
the following relation shows:
that Nabal did shear his sheep; when there was generally
good living, and so a proper person, and a proper time, for David to apply for
the relief of his wants.
1 Samuel 25:5 5 David sent ten young men;
and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, go to Nabal, and greet him
in my name.
YLT
5and David sendeth ten young
men, and David saith to the young men, `Go ye up to Carmel, and ye have come in
unto Nabal, and asked of him in my name of welfare,
And David sent out ten young men,.... Such persons, and
such a number of them, he sent to show honour and reverence to Nabal:
and David said, unto the young men, get ye up to Carmel; which lay
higher than the wilderness, in which he was:
and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name; ask him of
his peace and welfare, as the Targum; wish all health and happiness in my name,
present my service and best respects to him.
1 Samuel 25:6 6 And thus you shall say to
him who lives in prosperity: ‘Peace be to you, peace to your
house, and peace to all that you have!
YLT
6and said thus: To life! and
thou, peace; and thy house, peace; and all that thou hast -- peace!
And thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity,.... That
lives, while others, as David and his men, might be rather said to starve than
live; they lived in great meanness, but he in great abundance, and therefore in
a capacity to give to others, and particularly to relieve them: or the sense
is, they should say to him, "thus" shall it be, or may it be
"for life": for the time of life, for the year to come; at this time
next year, at next sheep shearing, mayest thou be in as great prosperity then
as now, and even all the days of thy life:
peace be both to thee, and peace be to thine house,
and peace be unto all that thou hast; that is, all prosperity
to thy person in soul and body, to thy family, wife, children and servants, and
let the same attend thy estate, cattle, farms, fields, vineyards, and all that
belong to thee; and wish for a blessing on him, and his, and all that were his,
or he had; a more extensive one could not well be made.
1 Samuel 25:7 7 Now I have heard that you
have shearers. Your shepherds were with us, and we did not hurt them, nor was
there anything missing from them all the while they were in Carmel.
YLT
7and, now, I have heard that
thou hast shearers; now, the shepherds whom thou hast have been with us, we
have not put them to shame, nor hath anything been looked after by them, all
the days of their being in Carmel.
And now I have heard that thou hast shearers,.... Men
employed in shearing his sheep, which was a time of feasting and gladness, and
therefore David sent his young men to him at this time with his compliments
upon it; and in order to obtain what he intended by this message to him, he
observes the favours he and his men had done to his servants, and the
advantages which they had received from them:
now thy shepherds which were with us; feeding their
sheep near the wilderness of Paran, which was not far from Carmel and Maon:
we hurt them not; by taking any of their sheep and lambs from
them, or by abusing, beating them, or giving them ill language; or "did
not put them to shame"F24לא הכלמנום "non affecimus verccundia eos", Montanus;
so some in Vatablus. , by denying them anything they asked of them, which was
in their power to grant, nor mocked and scoffed at them, and jeered them on
account of their occupation:
neither was there ought missing unto them; they did not
steal a sheep or lamb from them, as was common for soldiers to do; nor did they
suffer any of the Arabs, that dwelt in the wilderness of Paran, to rob them,
who lived upon plunder, or any of the wild beasts to hurt them, as much as in
them lay; so careful were they of them, and were a wall unto them by night and
day, as Nabal's servants owned, 1 Samuel 25:16; and
this was the case:
all the while they were in Carmel; or in the fields, 1 Samuel 25:15;
which were joining to the wilderness of Paran.
1 Samuel 25:8 8 Ask your young men, and
they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes,
for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever comes to your hand to your
servants and to your son David.’”
YLT
8`Ask thy young men, and
they declare to thee, and the young men find grace in thine eyes, for on a good
day we have come; give, I pray thee, that which thy hand findeth, to thy
servants, and to thy son, to David.'
Ask thy young men, and they will show thee,.... The
shepherds before mentioned, who kept their flocks hard by them:
wherefore let the young men find favour in thine eyes; the ten young
men David sent to Nabal:
for we are come in a good day; a day in which Nabal
made a feast for his shearers, as was usual then, and still is, see 2 Samuel 13:23; and
at such times as persons are generally cheerful and merry, so free and liberal,
and as there were plenty of provisions, not only enough for the guests and
shearers, but to spare, and there was no need for an increase of expense, it
might upon the whole be concluded it was a proper time for David to apply for
accommodations for himself and his men:
give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy
servants,
and to thy son David; he did not request
anything extraordinary of him, or to put him to any expense, but what was at
hand, and he could spare, he prayed him to deliver to the young men he sent,
for their use, and the use of other his servants, and particularly David, who
styled himself his son, being of the same tribe with Nabal, and Nabal his
senior.
1 Samuel 25:9 9 So when David’s young men
came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David,
and waited.
YLT
9And the young men of David
come in, and speak unto Nabal according to all these words, in the name of
David -- and rest.
And when David's young men came,.... To Carmel:
they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of
David; they delivered their message punctually and exactly, in the very
words, or however according to the purport of them, in David's name, as he
enjoined them:
and ceased: from speaking, waiting for Nabal's answer; or "they
rested"F25וינוחו "et
quieverunt", Pagninus, Montanus, Munster. , from the fatigues of their
journey; which they did not until they had delivered their message to Nabal,
and then they took the liberty to sit down and rest themselves; but the former
sense seems best, and is preferred by MaimonidesF26Moreh Nevochim
par. 1. c. 67. .
1 Samuel 25:10 10 Then Nabal answered
David’s servants, and said, “Who is David, and who is the son of
Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his
master.
YLT
10And Nabal answereth the
servants of David and saith, `Who [is] David, and who the son of Jesse? to-day
have servants been multiplied who are breaking away each from his master;
And Nabal answered David's servants, and said,.... In a very
haughty manner, in great wrath, just as churlish covetous persons do, when they
do not care to give what is asked of them:
who is David? and who is the son of Jesse; his two
questions, which relate to the same person, do not well agree together, since
by both he would suggest as if he knew not the person they came from, and whose
name they made use of: had he stopped at the first question, it might have gone
so, but his second question betrays him, and plainly shows he did know him,
though he speaks with contempt of him, calling him "the son of
Jesse", as Saul often did, 1 Samuel 20:27.
Abarbinel, of all interpreters, is of opinion only, that Nabal did not say this
disrespectfully of David, and to his dishonour; he knew he was the Lord's
anointed, and the king's son-in-law; but the sense, according to him, is,
"who is David? and who is the son of Jesse?" are they
not one man? but though he is the son of Jesse, and prides himself saying, I
shall be king, I should not regard that, but would send him corn, and bread,
and food, as much as is needful for his own use; but what can I do when there
are so many servants? for they are six hundred of them, and they are too many
to relieve:
there be many servants nowadays that break away every man from his
master; which words also the same writer thinks have no reference to
David, only to his men; but they seem plainly to strike at David himself, and
suggest that he had revolted from and rebelled against Saul his master, as well
as received and protected fugitives and renegades, such as fled from their
masters and from their creditors; see 1 Samuel 22:2.
1 Samuel 25:11 11 Shall I then take my bread
and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it
to men when I do not know where they are from?”
YLT
11and I have taken my bread,
and my water, and my flesh, which I slaughtered for my shearers, and have given
[it] to men whom I have not known whence they [are]!'
Shall I then take my bread, and my water,.... Which
include all food and liquors, everything eatable and drinkable; and
"water" may be particularly mentioned, because very scarce in the
wilderness, and so precious; though the Septuagint version has "wine"
instead of "water":
and my flesh which I have killed for my shearers; whether oxen,
or sheep, or lambs, as there might be of each sort, for an entertainment made
on such an occasion:
and give it unto men whom I know not whence they be? which is
another argument Abarbinel makes use of that he meant not David, but his men
only, because he did not know who and from whence they were.
1 Samuel 25:12 12 So David’s young men
turned on their heels and went back; and they came and told him all these
words.
YLT
12And the young men of David
turn on their way, and turn back, and come in, and declare to him according to
all these words.
So David's young men turned their way,.... Their
backs on him, without making any reply; and though they did not return railing
for railing, they treated him with silent contempt; and though they did not
offer to do any injury to his person, nor to take anything away by force, yet
they were determined to report this usage to David, who they doubted not would
avenge the affront put on him and them:
and went again; to the wilderness from whence they came:
and came and told him all these sayings; rude and
reproachful ones, just as they were delivered.
1 Samuel 25:13 13 Then David said to his
men, “Every man gird on his sword.” So every man girded on his sword, and David
also girded on his sword. And about four hundred men went with David, and two
hundred stayed with the supplies.
YLT
13And David saith to his men,
`Gird ye on each his sword;' and they gird on each his sword, and David also
girdeth on his sword, and there go up after David about four hundred men, and
two hundred have remained by the vessels.
And David said unto his men,.... Provoked to the last
degree to have such a rude churlish answer returned to such a civil and humble
message as he had sent:
gird you on every man his sword; and prepare to march and
chastise Nabal for his insolence:
and they girded on every man his sword; in obedience
to David, and in vindication of his honour and their own:
and David also girded on his sword; in order to march at the
head of them, fired with indignation at the affront given him:
and there went up after David about four hundred men; out of the
six hundred he had with him, 1 Samuel 23:13,
and two hundred abode by the stuff; the baggage in their
camp; the Targum is, they"were left to watch the vessels;'the things
necessary for their use, for the dressing of their food, their bedding, &c.
1 Samuel 25:14 14 Now one of the young men
told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Look, David sent messengers from the
wilderness to greet our master; and he reviled them.
YLT
14And to Abigail wife of
Nabal hath one young man of the youths declared, saying, `Lo, David hath sent
messengers out of the wilderness to bless our lord, and he flieth upon them;
But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife,.... Not one
of David's young men, as what follows shows, but one of Nabal's young men or
servants, one of those David directs him to for the truth of what he said, 1 Samuel 25:8; this
was one of those that had been employed in feeding sheep in the wilderness,
where David was, and knew him, but was now at Carmel, and was present when
David's messengers came to Nabal, and was privy to what passed:
saying, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our
master; in a very kind and handsome manner, to ask of his peace and
welfare, and to wish him all happiness and prosperity; or "masters"F25אדנינו "dominus nostros", Malvenda. master and
mistress, including both Nabal and Abigail:
and he railed on them; gave them very abusive
language, represented David and his men as a parcel of scoundrels, fugitives,
and runaway servants, 1 Samuel 25:10; or
"he flew at them"F26ויעט בהם "et involavit in eos", Coccei Lex. col. 607.
; or "upon" them, in great wrath and fury, calling them hard names,
bidding them begone about their business; the allusion is to a ravenous bird,
which will fly at persons when it apprehends its young in any danger.
1 Samuel 25:15 15 But the men were
very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything as long as we
accompanied them, when we were in the fields.
YLT
15and the men [are] very good
to us, and have not put us to shame, and we have not looked after anything all
the days we have gone up and down with them, in our being in the field;
But the men were very good unto us,.... Very kind
and civil, yea, very useful and serviceable, even all the messengers David sent
and Nabal railed on, yea, all David's men, and therefore deserved better
treatment than they met with from Nabal:
and we were not hurt; neither by them nor
others:
neither missed we anything: of our flocks, or
anything belonging to us; they neither robbed us themselves, nor suffered
others to rob us:
as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the
fields; feeding the sheep by them: thus he confirms everything that
David said of himself and his men; see Gill on 1 Samuel 25:7, and
says even more of them to their commendation, as follows.
1 Samuel 25:16 16 They were a wall to us
both by night and day, all the time we were with them keeping the sheep.
YLT
16a wall they have been unto
us both by night and by day, all the days of our being with them, feeding the
flock.
They were a wall unto us both by night and day,....
Protecting and defending them against the Philistines, who, as they robbed the
threshing floors of Keilah, would have plundered the flocks of Nabal; or it may
be rather against the incursions of the Arabs in the wilderness of Paran, the
posterity of Ishmael, who lived by plunder, and against the wild beasts of the
desert, who otherwise would have carried off many of their sheep and lambs, by
night or by day:
all the while we were with them keeping the sheep; all which
showed how reasonable it was that Nabal should have used them well, and given
them a portion of his entertainment at his sheep shearing; for had it not been
for them, he would not have had so many sheep to shear as he had.
1 Samuel 25:17 17 Now therefore, know and consider
what you will do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his
household. For he is such a scoundrel[b] that one
cannot speak to him.”
YLT
17`And, now, know and
consider what thou dost; for evil hath been determined against our lord, and
against all his house, and he [is] too much a son of worthlessness to be spoken
to.'
Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do,.... For the
preservation of her family:
for evil is determined against our master, and against all his
household; which he concluded, either from something that dropped from
David's messengers, as they turned away from Nabal; or from the martial spirit
of David himself, who would never put up such an affront and indignity cast
upon him; or from some intelligence he had of David's arming his men, and
marching to take vengeance:
for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot
speak to him; meaning Nabal, who was such a worthless, passionate, and ill
natured man, such a lawless and imperious one, that he would not suffer a man
to speak to him about anything; and it was to no purpose to attempt it, which
was a reason this servant did not choose to speak to him about this affair, but
to Abigail; and suggests, that it would signify nothing for her to speak to him
about it, but it would be most advisable for her to consider with herself what
was to be done immediately, without consulting him: the words may be rendered,
"for he is a son of Belial that speaks unto him"F1מדבר אליו "loquens ad
cum". ; or when "he speaks unto him", or it is told him; meaning
not the servant that reported to David what Nabal said; for Abarbinel observes
there were ten of them, and therefore it could not be said of them, he is a son
of Belial; but rather David himself, as he and Kimchi observe it may be
interpreted of; that though he was so good and upright a man, yet when it
should be told him how Nabal had treated him, he would be so provoked at it,
that he would become and act like a son of Belial; storm and rage, and vow
destruction to Nabal and his family, and come out with his whole army to
destroy them; but the first sense is best.
1 Samuel 25:18 18 Then Abigail made haste
and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep
already dressed, five seahs of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of
raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys.
YLT
18And Abigail hasteth, and
taketh two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep, prepared, and
five measures of roasted corn, and a hundred bunches of raisins, and two
hundred bunches of figs, and setteth [them] on the asses.
Then Abigail made haste,.... As the case
required, her family being in imminent danger:
and took two hundred loaves; of bread; of what size
or weight they were is not said; though it may be reasonably concluded they
were pretty large, since they are not called cakes, but loaves, and since they
were to be a present to David and his men, who were numerous:
and two bottles of wine; not such as ours are,
which would have borne no proportion to the rest of the provision; but these
were leathern bags which held a large quantity, in which they put and carried
wine in those times and countries; the Septuagint version is, two vessels or
casks of wine:
and five sheep ready dressed; killed and dressed by
the butcher, or made ready by the cook, boiled or roasted; the word which the
Targum uses, according to the interpretation of Jarchi, from one of their
Rabbins, signifies such as were stuffed with small pieces of meat, and eggs in
them, or, as it should seem, made into pastries:
and five measures of parched corn; or five
seahs, a measure which held, according to Bishop CumberlandF2Of
Scripture Weights and Measures, ch. 3. p. 86. , two wine gallons, four bottles,
and a little more; of this parched corn; see Gill on 1 Samuel 17:17;
where mention is made of an ephah of it; and the Septuagint version has the
same measure here, and calls them five ephahs of flour:
and an hundred clusters of raisins; or dried grapes, as the
Targum; the Septuagint is, one omer of them, which was the tenth part of an
ephah:
and two hundred cakes of figs; which were dried, and
pressed, and made into lumps, and she took two hundred of these; or, as the
Targum, two hundred pound weight of them:
and laid them on asses; one not being sufficient
to carry all this provision.
1 Samuel 25:19 19 And she said to her servants,
“Go on before me; see, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband
Nabal.
YLT
19And she saith to her young
men, `Pass over before me; lo, after you I am coming;' and to her husband Nabal
she hath not declared [it];
And she said to her servants, go on before me,.... With the
present, the sight of which she wisely considered would in a great measure
pacify David, and prepare him to hear patiently what she had to say to him:
behold, I come after you; signifying it would not
be long before she came up to them, and overtook them:
but she told not her husband Nabal; neither the danger he
and his family were in through his conduct, nor the preparations she had made
to prevent it; knowing his perverse and obstinate disposition, that it would take
up too much time to reason with him, and persuade him, and bring him into
proper measures; and which may be observed to excuse the conduct of Abigail in
doing what she did, and taking and disposing of her husband's gods, without his
knowledge and leave; the case required haste, and it was done to preserve him
and his family from imminent ruin; and besides, he might not be in a fit
condition to be spoken to, being drunk with passion, or with wine, or both, see
1 Samuel 25:36; and
no doubt she was directed by the Spirit of God to do what she did; and this
being an extraordinary case, is not to be drawn into an example.
1 Samuel 25:20 20 So it was, as she rode
on the donkey, that she went down under cover of the hill; and there were David
and his men, coming down toward her, and she met them.
YLT
20and it hath come to pass,
she is riding on the ass and is coming down in the secret part of the
hill-country, and lo, David and his men are coming down to meet her, and she
meeteth them.
And it was so, as she rode on the ass,.... After her
servants:
that she came down, by the covert of the hill; by the side
of it, which was covered with bushes, and she rode among them, in a way that
led through them, and so was not seen by David and his men; or by the shadow of
the hill, toward the bottom of it, where by reason of that, and the opposite
hill, it was darkish, and they could not see each other:
and, behold, David and his men came down against her; came down a
hill opposite to that she came down:
and she met them; in the valley between two hills.
1 Samuel 25:21 21 Now David had said,
“Surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has in the
wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belongs to him. And
he has repaid me evil for good.
YLT
21And David said, `Only, in
vain I have kept all that this [one] hath in the wilderness, and nothing hath
been looked after of all that he hath, and he turneth back to me evil for good;
Now David had said,.... When the messengers returned and told
him how they had been used by Nabal; or he "said"F3אמר "ait", V. L. "dixit", Pagninus,
Montanus; "dicebat", Vatablus. , or was saying within himself, or to
his men, what follows, just as Abigail met him:
surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the
wilderness; which shows that lie was in a violent passion, and had Nabal in
the utmost contempt and indignation, in that he mentions not his name, only
says "this", this man or follow; leaving a blank to be filled up with
the most ignominious name and character that could be thought of; and repents
that he had taken so much care of his flocks when they were feeding by him in
the wilderness:
so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him; and seems to
have wished he had suffered his flocks to have been robbed by the Arabs, or
worried by wild beasts, since he had been such an ungrateful wretch to him:
and he hath requited me evil for good; he had requited
evil to him by denying to send him any of his provisions, and by abusing him
and his men with opprobrious language; and this was done in return for the good
deeds he had done in protecting his servants and his flocks in the wilderness,
and for the good words and respectful message he had sent unto him.
1 Samuel 25:22 22 May God do so, and more
also, to the enemies of David, if I leave one male of all who belong to
him by morning light.”
YLT
22thus doth God do to the
enemies of David, and thus He doth add, if I leave of all that he hath till the
light of the morning -- of those sitting on the wall.'
So and more also do God unto the enemies of David,.... Give them
as much health and prosperity, as much wealth and riches, as Nabal has, and
much more:
if I leave of all that pertain to him, by the morning
light, any that pisseth against the wall; which is generally
understood of a dog, that he, would not leave him so much as a dog: but it is
better, with Ben Gersom, to interpret it of the males in his house, himself,
his sons, and servants; and so the Targum paraphrases it of reasonable
creatures, of such"that know knowledge,'or are knowing and understanding
creatures; it seems to have been towards the evening; of the day when David was
marching towards Nabal's house, designing to fall upon him and his, amidst
their jollity that night, and cut them all off before morning. This must be
imputed to the sudden and violent passion David was thrown into when off his
guard, through the necessity he was in, the disappointment he met with, and the
opprobrious language he was treated with; but in this his conduct was not as it
used to be, and as it was towards Saul his enemy. Nor is his rage and passion
to be vindicated, or the rash vow he made to destroy Nabal and his family; his
crime, though great, yet not to be published with death; his ingratitude and
insolence deserved resentment, but were not capital crimes worthy of death, and
especially of the destruction of his whole family; the Jews indeed make him to
be guilty of treason, in that he knew that David was anointed king, and yet
both abused him, and disobeyed his commands, and therefore being guilty of
overt acts of treason, he and his were deserving of death; but David was not
yet king.
1 Samuel 25:23 23 Now when Abigail saw
David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell on her face before David,
and bowed down to the ground.
YLT
23And Abigail seeth David,
and hasteth and cometh down from off the ass, and falleth before David on her
face, and boweth herself to the earth,
And when Abigail saw David,.... Whom she either knew
personally, or rather supposed who he was by the number of men that followed
him:
she hasted, and alighted off the ass; on which she
rode:
and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground; in respect
to, and reverence of, so great a person as David was.
1 Samuel 25:24 24 So she fell at his feet
and said: “On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be! And
please let your maidservant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your
maidservant.
YLT
24and falleth at his feet and
saith, `On me, my lord, the iniquity; and let, I pray thee, thy handmaid speak
in thine ear, and hear the words of thy handmaid.
And fell at his feet,.... As an humble
supplicant, having a favour to ask of him; it is very probable David was on
foot:
and said, upon me, my lord, upon me let this
iniquity be; which her husband had been guilty of; she desires it might be
transferred from him to her, and be reckoned as if done by her; she would have
it imputed to herself, and all the blame lie upon her, and the punishment for
it be inflicted on her; for iniquity may be put for the punishment of iniquity:
this was very artfully said, as well as expressed great affection for her
husband, and care of his life; for she knew, if she could get the fault removed
from him to her, she would be able to vindicate herself, and her innocence
would soon appear; nor would this strong affection for her husband fail of
answering some good purpose, as she full well knew:
and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience and
hear the words of thine handmaid: as it was but reasonable
she should be heard, since she stood now as the criminal, taking all the blame
of her husband's conduct on herself.
1 Samuel 25:25 25 Please, let not my lord
regard this scoundrel Nabal. For as his name is, so is he: Nabal[c] is
his name, and folly is with him! But I, your maidservant, did not see
the young men of my lord whom you sent.
YLT
25`Let not, I pray thee, my
lord set his heart to this man of worthlessness, on Nabal, for as his name [is]
so [is] he; Nabal [is] his name, and folly [is] with him; and I, thine
handmaid, did not see the young men of my lord whom thou didst send;
Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial,
even Nabal,.... He is a
worthless man, it must be owned, a weak foolish man, rather to be despised than
regarded by him; what either he says or does is unworthy of the notice of any,
and much less of so great a person as David was:
for as his name is, so is he; his natural
disposition, genius, and conduct, agree with his name; when anyone knows his
name, he may judge what is to be expected from him:
Nabal is his name: which signifies a fool:
and folly, in Hebrew, "Nebalah":
is with him; attends all,
his words and actions. This character of her husband, though no doubt a just
one, yet it would not have been right in her to have given it, whose folly she
should rather have concealed, but that it was his well known character; and she
observes it not to reproach him with it, but to excuse his sin, his rudeness
and ingratitude and preserve his life; and suggests that what he had done was
not to be imputed to malice in his heart, but to his stupidity and folly, and
so not to be regarded, and was not a peculiar single action of his, but what he
was daily more or less guilty of; his folly was with him wherever he went and
appeared in everything he said or did, and therefore to be overlooked and
despised:
but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou
didst send: as she had taken the blame upon herself, now she answers for
herself, and pleads ignorance of his messengers, and their message; she had not
so much as seen them with her eyes, and much less heard their message when
reported; had she, she would have taken care, she intimates, that it should
have been attended to; having so much interest in her husband, that she could
have prevailed on him to have used them with civility, and granted their
request.
1 Samuel 25:26 26 Now therefore, my lord, as
the Lord
lives and as your soul lives, since the Lord has held you
back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand,
now then, let your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be as Nabal.
YLT
26and now, my lord, Jehovah
liveth, and thy soul liveth, in that Jehovah hath withheld thee from coming in
with blood, and to save thy hand to thee -- now let thine enemies be as Nabal,
even those seeking evil unto my lord.
Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord liveth, and as
thy soul liveth,.... Which is an oath, and respects either what goes before, that
she never saw the young men that were sent to Nabal, or to what follows, the
providence of God in preventing David from shedding blood, which she was sure
of by an impulse on her own mind, and by observing a change in David's
countenance:
seeing the Lord hath withholden thee from coming to shed
blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand; she does not
impute this to her prudence, and the provision she made to appease David, and
prevent him from shedding the blood he intended, and taking the vengeance he
had resolved on; but to the Lord, and the interposition of his providence,
which she knew would have its weight on the mind of so good a man as David was;
who upon reflection would be thankful that he had been prevented from shedding
innocent blood, as the Targum calls it:
now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as
Nabal; meaning Saul and those with him, wishing they might be as
inconsiderable as Nabal; as unable, as weak, and impotent as he to do him any
hurt, and as short lived, and cut off by the hand God, as he would be; for,
according to Jarchi, she prophesied under the direction of the Holy Spirit. It
may be observed that in 1 Samuel 25:24, she
frequently gives David the title of "my lord", in reverence of him,
and to atone for the rudeness and insolence of her husband, in speaking of him
as a runaway servant, 1 Samuel 25:10.
1 Samuel 25:27 27 And now this present which
your maidservant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who
follow my lord.
YLT
27`And, now, this blessing
which thy maid-servant hath brought to my lord -- it hath been given to the
young men who are going up and down at the feet of my lord.
And now this blessing, which thine handmaid hath brought unto my
lord,.... The present, consisting of the things mentioned in 1 Samuel 25:18;
which came as a blessing from God, and with good will from her:
let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord; the servants
of David: in the original it is, "that walk at the feet of my lord":
and which the Targum paraphrases, "who minister before my lord"; and
so Abigail's damsels are called "pedissequae", or "that walked
at her feet", 1 Samuel 25:42; and
with the Romans, in later times, servants were called a "pedibus" and
"pedissequi"F4Vid. Pignorium de Servis, p. 140, 248, 293.
. This also is very artfully said, as if the present was not good enough for
David, and worthy of his acceptance; might be agreeable to his men, and of
service to them.
1 Samuel 25:28 28 Please forgive the
trespass of your maidservant. For the Lord will certainly make for
my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of the Lord, and evil is
not found in you throughout your days.
YLT
28`Bear, I pray thee, with
the transgression of thy handmaid, for Jehovah doth certainly make to my lord a
stedfast house; for the battles of Jehovah hath my lord fought, and evil is not
found in thee [all] thy days.
I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid,.... The
trespasses, as the Targum, either the sin of her husband, she had taken upon
herself, or her boldness in troubling him with her petitions and solicitations,
and even with the present she had brought:
for the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house; or a firm
kingdom, as the Targum; would raise him to the kingdom of Israel, and establish
it in his posterity, that it should not be taken from him, as it would be from
Saul:
because my lord fighteth the battles of the Lord; the battles
of the people of the Lord, as the Targum, of the people of Israel against the
Philistines; which he had often done with success, the Lord being with him, and
prospering him and therefore would firmly settle him on the throne, and
continue the kingdom in his posterity:
and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days; no unjust
action had been committed by him against his king and country, however he had
been reproached and calumniated; and she hoped that therefore none would be
done by him now to stain so fair a character.
1 Samuel 25:29 29 Yet a man has risen to
pursue you and seek your life, but the life of my lord shall be bound in the
bundle of the living with the Lord your God; and the lives
of your enemies He shall sling out, as from the pocket of a sling.
YLT
29And man riseth to pursue
thee and to seek thy soul, and the soul of my lord hath been bound in the
bundle of life with Jehovah thy God; as to the soul of thine enemies, He doth
sling them out in the midst of the hollow of the sling.
Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul,.... His life,
to take it away, meaning Saul, whom she chose not to name, because he was king:
but the soul of my lord shall be bound up in the bundle of life
with the Lord thy God; should be dear unto the Lord, precious in his esteem, and be
carefully preserved by him, among other his chosen ones, and should be safe
with him, in his hands, and under his care and keeping; the Jews refer this to
eternal life in the world to come, and the safety and security of his soul
hereafter; so the Targum,"the soul of my lord shall be treasured up in the
treasury of eternal life, before the Lord thy God:'hence they speak of the
souls of the righteous being laid up under the throne of gloryF5T.
Bab. Sabbat, fol. 152. 2. , in proof of which they produce this text; and so
MaimonidesF6Moreh Nevochim, par. 1. c. 41. understands it of what
should be after death, see Revelation 6:9,
and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out
of the middle of a sling; that is, remove them swiftly and suddenly, and with force, out
of the world, as a stone is slung out of the middle of a sling; see Jeremiah 10:18.
1 Samuel 25:30 30 And it shall come to pass,
when the Lord
has done for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning
you, and has appointed you ruler over Israel,
YLT
30`And it hath been, when
Jehovah doth to my lord according to all the good which He hath spoken
concerning thee, and appointed thee for leader over Israel,
And it shall come to pass, when the Lord shall have done to my
lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee,.... Performed
his promise, especially with respect to his kingdom, as follows:
and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel; that is,
actually raised him to be, and settled him as king upon the throne of Israel;
for he was both appointed and anointed already; and this Abigail knew, and was
now well known in Israel, and the common talk of the people.
1 Samuel 25:31 31 that this will be no grief
to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood
without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. But when the Lord has dealt well
with my lord, then remember your maidservant.”
YLT
31that this is not to thee
for a stumbling-block, and for an offence of heart to my lord -- either to shed
blood for nought, or my lord's restraining himself; and Jehovah hath done good
to my lord, and thou hast remembered thy handmaid.'
This shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my
lord,.... It would give him no trouble, nor distress of mind, or sit
uneasy on his conscience:
either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath
avenged himself; which she suggests it might do, if he had shed the blood of
Nabal's family, his children and servants, who were no ways concerned with him
in his rudeness and ingratitude; or had avenged himself on him for the same, by
taking away his life, which such crimes, however great and aggravated, did not
deserve; but, on the contrary, it would be a satisfaction and pleasure to him
to reflect upon it, that he had passed over such an offence, and shed no blood
on account of it:
but when the Lord shall have dealt well with my lord; by delivering
him out of the hands of all his enemies, and have raised him to, and settled
him on the throne of Israel, of which she made no doubt:
then remember thine handmaid; the advice she gave not
to shed blood, and take vengeance, for which he would then be thankful, and
gratefully remember: some, as Ben Gersom, think she said this under a spirit of
prophecy, that Nabal should die quickly, and she should be David's wife; but
rather her meaning is, that when he should be king, and she should apply to him
on any account, to have justice done her, and to be assisted and relieved when
oppressed, that he would then remember her, and show her favour.
1 Samuel 25:32 32 Then David said to
Abigail: “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, who sent
you this day to meet me!
YLT
32And David saith to Abigail,
`Blessed [is] Jehovah, God of Israel, who hath sent thee this day to meet me,
And David said to Abigail,.... Having heard her
out, and being overcome with her rhetoric and powerful arguments:
blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which sent thee this day
to meet me; who put it into her heart to come out and meet him, and
endeavour to avert him from his bad design, which his heart was set upon; he
saw plainly the hand of God in it, and in the first place acknowledges the
goodness of divine Providence, in directing her to take the step she did.
1 Samuel 25:33 33 And blessed is your
advice and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from
coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand.
YLT
33and blessed [is] thy
discretion, and blessed [art] thou in that thou hast restrained me this day
from coming in with blood, and to restrain my hand to myself.
And blessed be thy advice,.... Thanks be to God,
and to thee for it, being wise, good, and seasonable; or "thy taste"F7טעמך "sapor tuus", Piscator; "discretio
tua", Montanus. , thy good sense, knowledge, as the Targum, discretion,
prudence, and understanding:
and blessed be thou which hast kept me this day from coming
to shed blood; he came out with a full resolution to shed the blood of Nabal,
and of all the males in his house, but was stopped by Abigail; who by her
arguments so prevailed upon him as to cause him to desist from his design, and
thankful he was to God for it; for though he had vowed he would destroy Nabal and
his family, yet being a rash sinful vow, he saw it was better to break it than
to keep it:
and from avenging myself with mine own hand; which to do
would have been sinful, vengeance only belonging to God; and now he leaves it
to him, and is very thankful that he was prevented doing it himself.
1 Samuel 25:34 34 For indeed, as the Lord God of Israel
lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come
to meet me, surely by morning light no males would have been left to Nabal!”
YLT
34And yet, Jehovah liveth,
God of Israel, who hath kept me back from doing evil with thee, for unless thou
hadst hasted, and dost come to meet me, surely there had not been left to Nabal
till the light of the morning, of those sitting on the wall.'
For in very deed, as the Lord God of Israel liveth,.... An oath
for the confirmation of what he was about to say:
which hath kept me back from hurting thee: from doing
any ill to her family, as he intended, though not to her person, his resolution
being only to slay the males; but that would have been an hurt, an evil, an
affliction to Abigail, from which the Lord in his providence restrained him,
and that through her good advice:
except thou hadst hasted, and come to meet me: if she had
not made quick dispatch in preparing her present, or had stayed to persuade her
husband into her measures; if she had delayed a little longer, David would have
been at Nabal's house, executing his vengeance on him and his:
surely there had not been left unto Nabal, by the morning light,
any that pisseth against the wall: See Gill on 1 Samuel 25:22.
1 Samuel 25:35 35 So David received from her
hand what she had brought him, and said to her, “Go up in peace to your house.
See, I have heeded your voice and respected your person.”
YLT
35And David receiveth from
her hand that which she hath brought to him, and to her he hath said, `Go up in
peace to thy house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and accept thy face.'
So David received of her hand that which she had brought
him,.... Her present, 1 Samuel 25:18; and
which he kindly took for his own use, as well as for his men; for it was a
present for a prince:
and said to her, go up in peace to thine house; in peace of
mind, having her request granted, and nothing to fear from David and his men,
and so might return home with the greatest safety in her own person, with those
that were with her, and be under no apprehensions of danger and destruction to
Nabal and his family:
see, I have hearkened to thy voice; to her arguments and
reasonings, which were powerful; to her petitions, which were granted; and to
her good counsel and advice, which he took:
and have accepted thy person: done as she desired,
forgave the offence, and so lifted her up, as the word signifies, and made her
countenance cheerful; received her present kindly, and took well all she said
and did; and promised to grant her, for the future, anything that lay in his
power, whenever she should apply to him, see Job 42:8.
1 Samuel 25:36 36 Now Abigail went to Nabal,
and there he was, holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And
Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk;
therefore she told him nothing, little or much, until morning light.
YLT
36And Abigail cometh in unto
Nabal, and lo, he hath a banquet in his house, like a banquet of the king, and
the heart of Nabal [is] glad within him, and he [is] drunk unto excess, and she
hath not declared to him anything, less or more, till the light of the morning.
And Abigail came to Nabal,.... Having sped with
David, and taken her leave of him, she returned home to her husband Nabal:
and, behold, he held a feast in his house like the feast of a king; both for the
number of dishes on his table and of guests at it though only on the account of
sheep shearing; but very probably there were others that were invited to this
entertainment besides the shearers; covetous men are generally very profuse
when they make feasts:
and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was
very drunken: which was a very ill example for the master of the feast to set,
and was one instance among others of his folly, and of his conduct answering to
his name:
wherefore she told him nothing less or more until the morning
light; where she had been, and what she had been about, the danger that
he and the whole family were in through his rude and churlish behaviour towards
David and his men, and how she had prevented it by a timely application to
David, meeting him when in full march, and in a great passion, and with a firm
resolution to destroy him and his; but finding Nabal in such a condition,
bereaved of his reason, and incapable of attending to what she should say, said
not one word about it till the next morning.
1 Samuel 25:37 37 So it was, in the morning,
when the wine had gone from Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that
his heart died within him, and he became like a stone.
YLT
37And it cometh to pass in
the morning, when the wine is gone out from Nabal, that his wife declareth to
him these things, and his heart dieth within him, and he hath been as a stone.
But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of
Nabal,.... When he had slept, and was become sober, and so capable of
attending to and understanding what might be related to him:
and his wife had told him these things; recorded in
this chapter, before observed:
that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone; he swooned
away, became as cold as a stone, and remained as senseless, spoke not a word,
but lay in a stupor; the Jewish writers generally say this was occasioned by
the distress and uneasiness the present his wife carried to David gave him; but
it is more likely the sense of the danger that was impressed upon his mind,
which he had been exposed to through his carriage to David and his men; who, he
feared, notwithstanding all his wife said would return and take vengeance on
him.
1 Samuel 25:38 38 Then it happened, after
about ten days, that the Lord
struck Nabal, and he died.
YLT
38And it cometh to pass, [in]
about ten days, that Jehovah smiteth Nabal, and he dieth,
And it came to pass, about ten days after,.... After he
had lain in this stupid and senseless manner for ten days:
that the Lord smote Nabal, that he died; with some
disease or increased the grief of his heart, and the fears of his mind that he
died therewith.
1 Samuel 25:39 39 So when David heard that
Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has
pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept His
servant from evil! For the Lord has returned the
wickedness of Nabal on his own head.” And David sent and proposed to Abigail,
to take her as his wife.
YLT
39and David heareth that
Nabal [is] dead, and saith, `Blessed [is] Jehovah who hath pleaded the cause of
my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and His servant hath kept back from evil,
and the wickedness of Nabal hath Jehovah turned back on his own head;' and
David sendeth and speaketh with Abigail, to take her to him for a wife.
And when David heard that Nabal was dead,.... As he
soon might, Maon and Carmel not being far from the wilderness where David was:
he said, blessed be the Lord, that hath pleaded the cause
of my reproach from the hand of Nabal; not that he rejoiced at
the death of Nabal, simply considered, or from a private spirit of revenge; but
because of the glory of divine justice, which he had shown to him in
vindicating him from the reproach Nabal had cast upon him, and particularly was
thankful for what follows:
and hath kept his servant from evil; from slaying Nabal with
his own hand, and doing hurt to his family:
for the Lord hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own
head; and upon no other, none of his family suffered but himself, and
which was another cause of thankfulness to David; had he been suffered to have
done as he in his wrath determined, not only Nabal, but all the males in his
house, had been cut off; but now, through the righteous judgment of God, only
Nabal suffered, and not any of his family:
and David sent and communed with Abigail; by his
messengers to her; or "concerning" herF8באביגיל περι
αβιγαιας, Sept. "de Abigail", Vatabulus. , about marrying her:
to take her to him to wife; for being both a
beautiful and wise woman, he thought her a proper person to be his wife; which
she might lawfully become, Nabal being dead, and Michal, David's wife, being
taken from him, and given to another man, with whom she lived in adultery; or
as divorced by David, as the Jews say, David by the law of God was free from
her. These messengers were sent by David at a convenient time, at a proper
distance from the death of Nabal; and he chose rather to send messengers than
to go himself, lest being denied he should be put to shame, she being a rich
widow, and he a poor persecuted man, and that her answer might be entirely free
and unawed by him, and that it might appear that she was not taken to him by
force; and besides, such a method has been always reckoned most honourable with
great personages.
1 Samuel 25:40 40 When the servants of David
had come to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her saying, “David sent us to you,
to ask you to become his wife.”
YLT
40And the servants of David
come in unto Abigail at Carmel, and speak unto her, saying, `David hath sent us
unto thee to take thee to him for a wife.'
And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel,.... For
though Nabal lived in Maon, yet having possessions in Camel, he had no doubt an
house there also; and here Abigail was, and perhaps chose to be after his
death, rather than at Maon:
they spake unto her; delivered the message to
her they were sent with by David:
saying, David sent us unto thee, to take thee to him to wife; that is, to
treat with her about his marriage to her, to propose it to her, and, if they
could prevail upon her, to bring her with them, that David might espouse her.
1 Samuel 25:41 41 Then she arose, bowed her
face to the earth, and said, “Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the
feet of the servants of my lord.”
YLT
41And she riseth and boweth
herself -- face to the earth -- and saith, `Lo, thy handmaid [is] for a
maid-servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.'
And she arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth,.... As she
did before David, 1 Samuel 25:23; and
did as she would have done had he been present, considering his messengers as
representing him and therefore showed the same respect and reverence and did
the same honour, as if he had been there in person:
and said; expressed herself in such language as if David had been before
her:
behold, let thine handmaid be a servant to wash the
feet of the servants of my lord; which she said through her great humility,
this being one of the meanest services she could be put to; intimating, that
she was so far from being worthy to be the wife of such a man that she was only
fit and it would be honour enough to her to perform the meanest services to
those that waited upon him; or her sense is that it would be enough for her to
be the wife of one of David's servants, and not his; it being the business of a
wife, as Ben Gersom observes to wash the feet of her husband.
1 Samuel 25:42 42 So Abigail rose in haste
and rode on a donkey, attended by five of her maidens; and she followed the
messengers of David, and became his wife.
YLT
42And Abigail hasteth and
riseth, and rideth on the ass; and five of her young women who are going at her
feet; and she goeth after the messengers of David, and is to him for a wife.
And Abigail hasted and arose,.... She had no objection
nor hesitation in her mind about marrying David but at once consented, and
immediately prepared for her journey, having as high an opinion, and as great
an esteem of David, as he of her; and though she was rich and he peer this was
no obstacle in the way, she knew and believed he would be king of Israel, 1 Samuel 25:30; and
though he could not support her, she had enough to support herself, and supply
him, till he came to the throne: and
rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that went after her; whom she took
with her, partly to wait upon her, and partly for her honour, and the honour of
David, whom she was going to marry:
and she went after the messengers of David: not following
them directly, but some time after they were gone; partly for the sake of
decency, and partly that they going before might acquaint David with the
success of their message, and he might prepare to receive Abigail when she
came:
and became his wife; he espoused and married
her according to the custom of the times.
1 Samuel 25:43 43 David also took Ahinoam of
Jezreel, and so both of them were his wives.
YLT
43And Ahinoam hath David
taken from Jezreel, and they are -- even both of them -- to him for wives;
And David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel,.... A city in
the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:56; that
is, he took her to wife, and as it seems before Abigail became his wife; see 2 Samuel 3:2,
and they were also both of them his wives; polygamy,
though not agreeably to the law of nature, nor the law of God, was a custom
which prevailed in those times, which good men gave into, though not to be
commended for it.
1 Samuel 25:44 44 But Saul had given Michal
his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti[d] the son of
Laish, who was from Gallim.
YLT
44and Saul gave Michal his
daughter, wife to David, to Phalti son of Laish, who [is] of Gallim.
But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Phalti
the son of Laish,.... Or "for Saul", &c.F9ושאול "Saul enim", Tigurine version; "nam
Saul", Junius & Tremcillius, Piscator; so Pool and Patrick. ; which is
a reason for his marrying again, but no reason for marrying more wives than
one. Michal was his first wife, and they lived lovingly together, until David
was obliged to flee from Saul, and then he gave her to another; partly to vex
David, and partly if he could to break the relation between him and David, that
he might not be thought to be his son in law, and he to persecute one in such a
relation to him; and that this might not give David any show of claim, or be
the means of his rising to the throne. This Phalti, to whom he gave her, is
called Phaltiel, 2 Samuel 3:15,
which was of Gallim; which very probably was
a city in the tribe of Benjamin, since it is mentioned with several cities of
that tribe, and as near Gibeah of Saul, Isaiah 10:29.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)